Feb. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Zambia revoked the mining license
for the Collum coal operation, where workers rioted in November
and killed a Chinese manager.

The mine, owned by a family of Chinese citizens, failed to
comply with at least 15 legal provisions including not having
the required blasting licenses, Mines Minister Yamfwa Mukanga
said by mobile phone today. There were also instances where mine
management didn’t supply workers with proper safety equipment,
he said.

“Our plans are to find a new partner,” Mukanga said.
“Government is not interested in nationalization.”

The manager was killed during an Aug. 4 miners’ riot at
Collum, located in Sinazongwe district, about 220 kilometers
(138 miles) southwest of Lusaka, the capital. Zambian police
arrested two Chinese managers at the same mine in October 2010
after they opened fire on a group of protesting workers,
wounding 11.

The government sent a default notice to the mine in August,
Mukanga said.

“They never even responded, they didn’t care,” he said.

The government must find a new investor that will comply
with Zambian laws, Mineworkers Union of Zambia General Secretary
Joseph Chewe said by mobile phone.

“The lack of compliance and the way they have structured
their administration is a concern,” he said. “They need to be
more organized so it is like a mining company, not like a
farm.”